Kosha Mangsho

Cooking is an everyday activity for me except those days when I’m away from my kitchen…responsibility and tension free. But I love the freedom of my kitchen.

Talking about freedom it reminds me of one of my sister. Whenever I visit her I become extra cautious when I step into her kitchen. It would be wrong to say she is a bully but she is always around when anyone else is cooking. She keeps a watchful eye over all that is used in cooking. She peeps in to say, “Don’t use so much of oil. Cook the masala, it needs little more time. Add this much water - ah hah! - you’re adding too much water it’ll taste pancha (watery)” and so on.

Let me now draw your attention to my Kosha Mangsho recipe. Everyone in our house likes Kosha Mangsho and before I can add water for the gravy for mangsho curry, half of it goes into the stomach of those moving in and out of he kitchen, signaling very much they want their share then and there. I don’t like to be left out and taste a few pieces.

I want to take you back with me to those days when we stayed in the small quiet town of Baripada in Orissa. Baripada is famous for Muri (puffed rice). I’ve tasted Muri in different places but miss that specialty of Baripada. Muri is one of the staple foods of the people of this small town. You can find people having Muri with vegetable curry, dal, fish fry and above all they love to eat it with mutton or chicken curry.

My boys love to eat Kosha Mangsho with Muri and I too like it. Mostly we have mutton curries on Sunday when it is a holiday and we sit together for lunch, enjoy the food and lots to talk about.

The way I prepare this dish:

Ingredients:

Mutton 1 Kg.
Onion 4 big size
Garlic 6-8 flakes
Ginger 1½ inch piece
Curd ½ cup
Haldi powder
Red chili powder
Tej patta (bay leaves) 5-6
Cinamon 1 inch piece (broken to smaller pieces)
Cloves 5-6
Cardamom 3 (cracked)
Salt
Sugar
Mustard oil (you can use any cooking oil)

Preparation:

Make a paste of 3 onions, garlic and ginger and keep it aside.
Make thin slices of 1 onion.
Clean and wash the mutton pieces. Squeeze out the water totally. Take a bowl and put the mutton pieces in it.
Add the curd and mix it.
Now add the onion, ginger and garlic paste to it and mix it properly.
Add haldi and red chili powder (as per the heat your taste buds can take), salt to taste and a pinch of sugar.
Add 2 tbsp of mustard oil.
Now mix it properly and keep it aside for about an hour.
Once it is marinated it is ready to be cooked.

Cooking it:

Take a thick bottom dekchi or pan with a lid.
Add 4-5 tbsp of mustard oil.
Once the smoke rises add the bay leaves, the cinamon, cloves and cardamom and give it a stir.
Now add the sliced onions and cook till it becomes translucent.

Add the marinated mutton to it and stir.

Cover it with the lid and cook it over low heat stirring it from time to time.

The mutton and the masala will give out water in which the mutton will get cooked.

By the time the oil separates from the masala the mutton gets soft enough for serving.

Serve it hot with fried rice, hot rotis, parathas, can give a try with Muri also.